When it comes to your storm door, deciding whether to repair or replace it can be a daunting task. Storm doors provide access for ventilation and illumination. If your screen door or screen insert is very old or in poor condition, that’s a good signal for replacement. Storm doors in poor condition can lead to significant air loss – and consequently affect your home’s efficiency and energy costs. However, some storm doors simply need some basic maintenance. So before you replace your storm door, consider the following:
Check the weather strip around your storm door. Weather stripping is an easy fix to control air loss and improve insulation all around the door, and should be replaced every year. After replacing old or damaged weather stripping, your storm door should be sealed from any light or air leakage. If you see light around the edges or feel air getting through, the door could be bent and no amount of weather stripping will help.
As a rule, glass storm doors loose heat much faster than other doors because glass is a very poor insulator. If your storm door is older, it may be time for an upgrade. Modern glass doors have a “thermal break,” a plastic insulator between inner and outer parts of the frame, and many are manufactured with several layers of glazing. Multiple layers of glass and low e-coatings can also reduce the amount of air loss. These types of glass doors are a great investment for your home – and worth the cost with the amount of energy saved and insulation added.
So whether it’s time to replace older storm doors or install new weather-stripping, be sure that the final product is sealed properly to prevent any heat loss. By taking a few minutes to inspect your glass and storm doors now, you can help reduce your energy costs throughout the entire winter.
